44. The truths and goods of the sense of the letter of the Word are meant by the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim were on the ephod of Aaron, whose priesthood represented the Lord as to Divine good and as to the work of salvation. The garments of the priesthood or of holiness represented Divine truth from Divine good. The ephod represented Divine truth in its ultimate, thus the Word in the sense of the letter, for this, as before said, is Divine truth in its ultimate. Consequently the twelve precious stones bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (which were the Urim and Thummim) represented Divine truths from Divine good in their whole complex.
[2] Concerning these we read in Moses:
They shall make the ephod of [gold], hyacinthine blue, and bright crimson, of scarlet double dyed, and fine linen intertwined. And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment according to the work of the ephod; and thou shalt set it with settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; the second row a chrysoprase, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row a cyanus, an agate, and an amethyst; the fourth row a thalassius, a sardius, and a jasper. These stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel; the engravings of a signet according to his name shall be for the twelve tribes. And Aaron shall carry upon the breastplate of judgment the Urim and Thummim and let them be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Jehovah (Exod. 28:6, 15-21, 29-30).
[3] What was represented by Aaron's garments - his ephod, robe, vest, miter, belt - has been unfolded in Arcana Coelestia on this chapter, where it is shown that the ephod represented Divine truth in its ultimate; the precious stones in it, truths pellucid from good; the twelve precious stones, all ultimate truths pellucid from the good of love in their order; the twelve tribes of Israel, all things of the church; the breast-plate, Divine truth from Divine good; the Urim and Thummim, the shining forth in ultimates of Divine truth from Divine good (for Urim means a shining fire; and Thummim, in the angelic language, means a shining forth, and in the Hebrew, entirety). Besides many other things, it is there shown also that answers were given by variegations of light and a simultaneous tacit perception, or by a living voice. From all this it is evident that these precious stones signified truths from good in the ultimate sense of the Word; nor are answers from heaven given by other means, for in this sense the Divine proceeding is in its fullness.
[4] That precious stones and diadems signify Divine truths in their ultimates, such as are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, has been made very evident to me from precious stones and diadems in the spiritual world, among the angels and spirits there whom I have seen wearing them - I have seen them in their caskets also - and it has been given me to know that they correspond to truths in ultimates, and, what is more, that from these truths they exist and come into view. As these truths are signified by diadems and precious stones, John saw diadems
Upon the head of the dragon (Rev. 12:3);
Upon the horns of the beast (Rev. 13:1);
And precious stones upon the harlot that sat on the scarlet beast (Rev. 17:4).
Diadems and precious stones were seen upon the dragon, the beast, and the harlot, because these signify the people in the Christian world who are in possession of the Word.